Weekending + Why and HOW to Trail Run!!

8 miles of snow/rain @ 8:16 average pace for my Saturday morning!

I should have worn wool socks because my feet were frozen .2 miles into the run from all of the slush and puddles.

This picture perfectly describes what my children do best in the hot tub.  Skye just goes straight to back floating position for the entire duration, if it is snowing then Brooke is either trying to catch the snowflakes with her hands or her mouth and Knox is going back and forth from the hot tub to making snow angels.

They also spent some time later on playing in the snow but overall, it was a very laid back day!

Our Sunday involved staying in bed for as long as possible.

One of my goals for 2021 is to try and make one new recipe each week so that happened yesterday.  I saw beignets somewhere on the internet one day and decided I needed to try them.  I went with this recipe and they were fabulous.

We love to watch a movie together on Sunday’s too and this was our choice and we loved it.

Somehow the weekends go by way too fast…

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I will start off this portion of trail running talk by stating I am not an expert:).  I just wanted to share why I trail run and some of the things I do to stay safe, have a blast and enjoy the mountains!   While I LOVE road races and speed work on the roads I was telling Andrew the other day that my dream would be to do every other run that I do besides speed and races on the trails:).

Let’s talk about why I think trail running is great:

*The mental benefits are incredible for me.  Any anxiety/stress I am experiencing disappears with each mile even more on the trails than the roads and my body becomes more relaxed.  My brain loves the peace I feel when I am trail running because I am away from cars, buildings and distractions.  I feel so adventurous when I am out on the trails which is not something I usually feel each day driving carpool, changing diapers and doing laundry;).  I’m never looking at my watch while I’m on the trails which is a nice change and you can’t beat the views along the way.

*Bored with running or is running feeling monotonous to you lately?  Switching things up from the roads to the dirt is the perfect answer to that problem.  In 2019 when I was training for marathons I did 2 of my 6 runs on the trails each week which really helped me to never feel the mental/physical burnout that I experienced during marathon training in previous years when I wasn’t on the trails.

*Injury prevention!  This one is key for me and why I think I was able to stay healthy while running 80 miles per week in 2019 (which is a ton of miles for me).  The trails help you to slow down, the dirt is softer and easier on our body than the road and the variety in the surface on the trail builds all sorts of stabilizer muscles to help you stay healthy.

*I think that consistent trail running made me faster.   The constant ups and downs on our trails made me a lot stronger.  I am not one to strength train regularly (I know, I really need to) BUT the trails built a lot of muscle up for me in 2019 which helped me to get faster.

*You prove to yourself on the trails that you can do hard things which will help you on race day or during hard workouts in the future.

*I feel so much more connected to nature when I trail run.  I feel so grateful for our world and the chance we get to explore it more than ever when I am trail running.  Some of my best prayers have happened out on the dirt.

HOW I trail run….

*I always go with a people or Beretta.  I want to enjoy the trails while being safe at the same time.  I also always let Andrew know exactly what trail I am running each time I go.

*Get some trail shoes!  This is definitely not necessary (I wear normal shoes on the trails often too) but it can really help in terms of stability, rock shields and traction.  I 100% recommend Brooks trail shoes because I really think they are the best.

*Pick your feet UP and take small steps when you are trail running to help you to avoid tripping!  BUT just know that a fall every now and then happens to most of us while on the trails so don’t feel bad if you do fall!

*Hike or walk the ups when you need to.  I did a lot of this when training for my ultra and then running my ultra and it was AWESOME.

*Enjoy looking at your elevation map afterwards.  It’s so fun to see how much you climbed and all of the ups and downs that you accomplished.

*Start out small!  Let your body get used to them.  Start out with a few miles one time a week and build up from there!

*Grab a hydration vest… with so many pockets and places to store all of the necessities along with helping you to stay hydrated while on the trails, it’s worth the $$.

*Know that your pace is going to be SO different than when you run on the roads.  Last week my runs on the roads ranged from a 7:30-8:40ish average pace and then on the trails my average pace was 10:32.  Expect them to be different because they will be.

*Trailforks is an awesome app to help you find great trails in your area.

*Just have fun!!  There is zero pressure on the trails to hit any pace or to go any distance.  Soak in the views, pat yourself on the back often, hike when you need to and enjoy the fresh air.

*I am going to add these tips from Kristine because they are so important!  “My additional tips including knowing your own abilities..here in BC we have amazing trail running terrain but some can be very technical and lead deep in to the backcountry so if you are not careful you can get in over your head fast. We have what we call the 10 essentials.. extra light food, emergency first aid kit, tarp and extra warm clothes fully charged phone, remote battery charging among others. For me when I go on adventures I also bring food for double the anticipated time and like you always tell my partner. For big adventures I don’t usually go alone and with a group. When we did an all day one a few years back, we left a trip plan as well as a note phone numbers etc on the inside windshield of our car in case of emergency. Our trails are relatively close to the city so I think people don’t always realize how steep and rugged they can be. Do your research and don’t be fooled by the pretty photo on instagram. But trails are so much fun when you play safe!”

What does trail running do for you?  Have any tips for trail running?

Where do you think would be one of the prettiest places in the world to trail run?

A friend of mine just had a baby and is looking for running stroller recommendations!  My stroller is no longer available so I can’t recommend that one!

What was the best part of your weekend?